The use of physician associates (PAs) in the NHS has been opposed by firefighters and other workers within fire and rescue services across the UK.
The Fire Brigades Union voted in favour of a motion calling on its executive council to ‘use its influence’ to ‘oppose this dangerous practice’, during the union’s national conference last week.
The motion said that the conference is ‘concerned’ by the use of PAs and anaesthesia associates (AAs) in the NHS, as they are ‘not always qualified doctors or anaesthetists’ and yet may have made decisions ‘that have affected the health of patients’.
It also encouraged all Fire Brigades Union members to oppose the use of PAs and AAs through the use of lobbies, letters to MPs, petitions and ‘any further action that may be appropriate’.
In a post on X, Lee Hunter, chair of Fire Brigades Union for Merseyside, which seconded the motion, said: ‘Deregulation and deskilling of all public sector organisations is something we must all fight together.
‘The Tories have set us out on a race to the bottom in the public sector, in their aim for privatisation. Our health, the safety of our communities and the mental and physical wellbeing of those carrying out public sector roles, is at stake.
‘We must fight to ensure that everyone has the right to see a doctor and that when we book a GP appointment, the person we are seeing is who we are expecting to see.’
He also mentioned Emily Chesterton, who died in November 2022 after suffering a pulmonary embolism, and whose GP practice in North London made the decision to stop employing PAs after the incident.
Last week, during the UK LMC conference, local GP leaders said that the GMC is ‘complicit’ in the Government’s ‘agenda’ to create ‘a cheaper model of primary care’ by supporting the use of physician associates (PAs) in place of GP.
However, the conference stopped short of ‘condemning’ the use of PAs in general practice ‘for anything other than administrative or simple procedural duties’.
It comes after the BMA recommended that PAs must have a named supervisor ‘immediately’ available ‘at all times’ while working at GP practices and in secondary care.
The motion in full
Conference is concerned with the use of Physician Associates and Anaesthesia Associates (PAs and AAs) within the National Health Service. PAs and AAs are not always qualified doctors or anaesthetists and yet may have made decisions that have affected the health of patients. Conference calls on the Executive Council (EC) to use its influence within the political movement to oppose this dangerous practice.
Conference also instructs the EC to encourage all Fire Brigades Union members to oppose the use of PAs and AAs through the use of lobbies, letters to Members of Parliament, petitions and any further action that may be appropriate.
Source: Fire Brigades Union
Not that I disagree, but what on earth do firefighters have to do with PAs?
Firefighters seem to be more clued up about the dangers of deprofessionalising traditional general practice than any number of our leaders care to be.
Think what public wants to know is the view of plumbers and gas engineers on the use of PAs. And also swimming coaches and estate agents, of cause
Anonymous, So the bird flew away and Some bloke are interesting (‘of cause’):
So give us your real names to increase the amount of interest we can enjoy, of cause.
Of cause….but first don’t tell me Sam Macphie’s your real name 😁. I’ve enjoyed your renaming of various Govt ministers like Mr Sanuk aka Richie Sunshine…
Lots of posters choose anonymity especially if, as in my case, local GP practices’ practices (sic) are being excoriated….
Anyway there’ll be a new lot of names to play with soon like ‘Wes mistreating’ the NHS..
They have proper unions and understand the underlying general objective to deskill and marginalise professionals and get crappy public services on the cheap. More targets, more management, less professionals. The race to the bottom